Zelda's Christmas Gift
by 7elda Chick
Summary: Link searches for the perfect gift to give Zelda for Christmas, but it seems either the gift is too expensive or not good enough for Zelda. What do you get a princess who has nearly everything? What if Zelda doesn't accept what he chooses? Timeline: after Twilight Princess.
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter 1_**

"Hey, Llia, wait up!" I called, racing through a patch of snow, my leather boots crunching through the hard upper layer. I was determined to gain Llia's attention before she disappeared over the far hill. I had been calling her for a while, but she hadn't noticed me yet. She was fiddling with a brown package she had with her. Ever since her memory had returned, she has been a very absent-minded person.

That day began brightly. High above, arched a beautiful aqua sky, and below lay the world, as though it were asleep, nestled in a bed of shiny white, for it had snowed all the night previous. A leisurely breeze was dawdling upon the branches twisting above my head, now and then shaking down a few specks of snow, looking like crystals as the sun's golden light reflected off their delicate forms. The weather was pretty warm and tranquil, considering how blustery the past few days had been.

As I plowed through another snow drift and practically screamed Llia's name once again, she turned, and suddenly I was face-down in the wet slush, having tripped over a root precariously hidden below a thin layer of snow. As I pushed myself onto my knees, finally understanding what had happened, I heard Llia's charming laugh fill the air. She was running over to me, her face flushed with exhilaration.

"You clumsy fellow," she jibed impishly, her brown eyes shimmering as she helped me to my feet. Too troubled to retort, I yanked the small box out of my pocket, sighing once I was sure it hadn't been damaged.

"What's that?" she probed eagerly.

"It's a present for Zelda, but I want to have your opinion on it before I give it to her," I replied as I shook the snow out of the collar of my green tunic.

"Ooo_ooo_oooh…" she crooned, jabbing me in the ribs with her elbow. "Well, let me see it!" Gently, I took the lid off the box, but didn't show it to her quite yet.

"I know it's not much, but… Well, I worked hard on it… Maybe…maybe I'll get her something else…but…" I was having difficulty trying to put my feeling into words. If I felt the need to defend the present, perhaps it just wasn't the right one.

"Just show me already!" Llia interjected. Dragging the box out of my reluctant hands, she gazed into it. For a moment she was quiet. I scratched the back of my neck uneasily.

"What is it?" she asked finally, and I cringed. That was one comment I hadn't wanted to hear, but the question seemed inevitable.

I yanked the box away from her and slammed the cover back on.

"Great! It's _Christmas Eve _and I don't have a present for Zelda!" I said hopelessly, kicking a pile of snow into the air. I watched the glittering pieces drift to the ground.

"Oh, don't be like that, Link. I'm sure you can find her the perfect gift. Don't give up hope, yet," Llia encouraged. "In fact, I know of a place that specializes in girly gifts and it's open, even on Christmas Eve."

At hearing this, my heart lightened somewhat.

"Where is this shop?" I asked.

"Oh, it's like a little boutique in southern Castle Town. I forget the name, but it's something like…Prillna's _Place _or Prillna's _Products_… I'm sure you can find it. There's just one thing. The prices are probably going to be jacked up pretty high considering this is the last day to shop for gifts before the holiday."

"Oh, I'm sure…" I grunted, "but it seems the only alternative."

"I'd go with you, but I have a lot of things to do before the morrow," Llia responded glumly.

"Yeah… That's alright. I'll be fine."

* * *

Castle Town was nuts, not that I doubted it would be. Citizens were rushing here and there, like cuccos with their heads cut off. As I tried to make my way through the crowd, bundles, food, and body parts kept shoving me back and forth, irritating me until I honestly considered taking out the Master Sword. Really, all I needed was one quick spin attack to open up a little room to breathe, but I quickly vetoed the idea before I did something I'd regret for the rest of my life. Instead, I plowed into the corner and inched my way along the walls, scooting behind venders and workmen.

In the Town Centre, the fiddlers were playing some holiday tunes, but the last-minute shoppers' voices drowned out any pleasantness that could have been palpable. As I glanced up, I noticed how much effort the workmen had put into this year's decor. The entire castle was bedecked with wreaths, ribbons, banners, bows—seriously, just about everything "Christmassy" was there. To me, it was a little overdone. I'm all for a few red and green ribbons or banners to bring in the holiday feel, but what they had was way too overpowering and commercialized.

I stopped for a moment to take a glance at a hog roasting over a grill. Man, it smelt good, but I was on a mission. I turned down an alley toward the southern drawbridge.

Even among the shifting, boisterous crowd and gaudy holiday décor, I had no trouble finding the shop Llia had mentioned. Flashing green and blue holiday lights spiraled the thatched roof, spelling out the words, "Prillna's Palace." Below, the windows were lit aglow by pink candlelight, and a metallic sign hung in the doorway, reading, "Come in, and don't be shy! Big sale Wednesday through Friday only!"

I wavered outside the front door, vexed by an inner conflict. Without a second thought, I'd travel into the sweltering hot innards of Death Mountain, plunge down into the dark, lonely depths of Lake Hylia, and even try my luck against the evil Lord Ganondorf if I needed to, but when it came to bearing the shame of being seen shopping in a girly boutique, I suddenly felt nauseous and hesitant. Yet, envisioning the sweet smile Zelda would portray when I'd give her the perfect gift, I marched boldly through the door, which chimed a quick tune as I past the threshold.

Immediately as I entered, the overwhelming smell of mingling perfumes congested my nasal passages, instigating a sneezing fit.

"Oh, deary me!" cried a voice. I squinted toward the sound of the voice and yelped, which, in turn, caused the thing in front of me to scream incessantly. I quickly had to determine what the heck was going on, and, for the moment, I didn't even know what I was looking at.

I fathomed it was a girl, because of nasally, irritating noise it was making, but beneath all her glitter and makeup, she looked more like a girl's worst nightmare. It—she, wore four different hats on her head, one gracing the other, creating a tower of feathers, roses, silk, and frills. Below the frightful overuse of cranium accessories, smiled an elasticy face painted yellow and purple. Bright red lip stick stained her abnormally puckered lips, and her gown was a sequence-clad ball of silver, so eye-piercingly bright, the light it reflected stung my eyes. Yes, she was wearing a disco ball.

To my relief, she stopped screaming when she realized I wasn't trying to kill her. Instead, an extremely wide and creepy smile stretched her fleshy cheeks, and she hobbled over to me, impossibly staying upright in her two-foot stiletto heels.

"Hi!" she squeaked enthusiastically. I gazed at her, bafflement knitting my brows. She had feathers in her eyelashes…

"Well don't just stand there…" she shook her head disapprovingly, rattling the bells dangling from her earlobes. "Come on and start browsing! Be amazed by our magnificent display of bejeweled oddities…" As she motioned her hands dramatically toward the counter beside her, I couldn't help thinking she herself was a bejeweled oddity.

"Ahhh…" As she gazed beseechingly into my eyes, I sought for a polite way to respond. "I'm looking for a gift for—"

"A lady friend!" interrupted the woman, who I presumed was Prillna, the shop's owner. "Oh, I just LOVE romance!" She fluttered her feathery eyelashes. My cheeks flushed crimson.

"Ah…yeah…well…I don't think there is anything here she would like…" As I turned to go, Prillna's hand latched onto my arm, and I cringed. I never knew that hot-pink, yellow polka-dotted nails were so dangerous.

"No! Don't go!" she cried, as if she were begging me to spare her life. "You haven't even looked around…"

I turned on her. "Mrs. Prillna," I began calmly, masking my aggravation.

"**Miss** Prillna!" she corrected emphatically. "I'm single…" She winked, and suddenly, I was sick to my stomach.

"_Miss_ Prillna…I'm searching for a simple gift, not a garish, eye-blinding heart attack in the form of an accessory, and something tells me that I'm not going to find it here…" She gazed blankly at me for a moment, still digging her polka-dotted talons into my flesh, but finally she released me and stepped back.

"That's perfect!" she cried, and it was my turn to stare blankly.

"What?"

"Oh, we DO have small trinkets in the back," she encouraged, nodding like a bobble head. "It's **perfect **for women who prefer boring, sensible adornment. I'm not sure if you've noticed, by I prefer to stand out and make a statement." She stuck her nose up haughtily.

"Oh…I've noticed…" I murmured quietly, and if she heard me, she didn't respond.

"Come on! I'll take you to the back." I leaped out of the way before her nails could re-attack my arm, but reluctantly, I followed her further into the shop.

I'm not even going to try to describe what I saw, because words will **never** do it justice. Just imagine a sea of girly ridiculousness that seems to go on infinitely, and that's as good a description as you're going to get from me, since I'm a guy. And yes, I'm proud that I didn't know what most of stuff in the shop was anyhow.

As we traveled down the aisles, I kept my head low, hoping no one would recognize me, but I soon came to the realization that no one else was in the entire store, which I thought was very unusual considering it was Christmas Eve, a crucial day to be out purchasing more than one's salary can compensate.

Finally, we came to the back of the store. A black silk canopy outlined a small table, whereon sat a mix of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Unlike the huge, eye-piercing jewelry throughout the rest of the store, these accessories were small, simple, and appealing, quite suiting Zelda, I mused.

My hand dove toward what I thought was the most attractive of the trinkets—a golden locket engraved with a heart, hanging from a gold chain. It was the perfect gift. I lifted it into the palm of my hand carefully.

"Nice choice," muttered Prillna wryly, gazing over my shoulder, her feathers tickling my neck. Stepping away from her, I rotated the delicate oval in my hands, searching for any dents or nicks in the pendant, anything that would deter me from purchasing it. That's when I accidently came upon the price tag and nearly choked on my tongue...


	2. Chapter 2 part 1

_**Chapter 2/ part 1**_

I made a strange gurgling in my throat, and Prillna cried, "What's wrong!?"

"Three hundred rupees!" I yelled, exasperation trembling my voice. I laid the pendant where it belonged and leaped back as if the mere touch of it were hazardous.

"No, no…deary, no!" Prillna shook her head raptly.

"It's _not_ three hundred rupees?" I asked hopefully.

"No, it very much is three hundred rupees, but that isn't extremely expensive!" Prillna lied happily.

I raised my eyebrows in unbelief. "Do I look like I'm made of rupees?" I asked. Prillna looked me up and down distastefully.

"Well-"

"Don't answer that," I interrupted. "…But seriously, do you have anything decently priced in this place?"

She hesitated a moment, and then pointed. "I can give you a good bargain for that trash bin."

"UUUGHH!" I huffed. "I wasted all this time for nothing!" Not thinking, I slammed my fist onto the table in frustration.

"Hey! Watch out!" an all-too-familiar voice shrieked from beneath the glittery tablecloth. Forgetting everything for a moment, I turned to whence the nasally voice had rippled.

"It can't be…" I murmured, but it was. Out from the tablecloth shot the glowing essence of a fairy named Navi, my off-and-on companion.

"Don't you look before you go slamming those beefy mits of yours all over the place!?" she snapped, her white glow turning red in anger.

"Navi?" I mumbled in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"Well…I **was** trying to get a little shut eye, but _something _disturbed my peace and quiet!" She glared at me resentfully, and if looks could kill, I'd be in the ground.

"It's _YOU_ again!" yelled Prillna savagely, glaring at Navi. "I thought I got rid of you last time, you little scamp!"

"No one can '_get rid of me'_ unless I wanna be gotten rid of…" replied Navi nonchalantly, and I, having put up with her for seven years, knew that was the God-honest truth.

Prillna crossed her arms and huffed. Even she, with all her glitter and tackiness, would never be as big a diva as Navi, and she knew it.

"So what you doing in a place like this, bub?" Navi asked, flying over to lounge on my shoulder. "Looking for something special for a certain someone?"

"Why do you care?" I asked, brushing her off my shoulder dismissively.

"Aw, you think that I care…" Navi whined sarcastically. "Sorry to disappoint you, bub. I'm just asking because your responses amuse me."

"That's what I always was to you, huh?" I asked, feeling hurt. "Just a source of amusement—a plaything—_a puppet_." I bit my bottom lip hard. Prillna was watching us closely as if we her new favorite sitcom.

"Nah," Navi began, shrugging. "We had some good days, but you probably don't remember them!"

"How can I when you're always insulting me?" I murmured, my voice quivering slightly. I lowered my eyes. Navi was quiet for a moment. When she finally replied, her voice was oddly soft and composed.

"Did you ever think of buying something nice for _me_? Inviting _me_ to a party? Coming to visit? No, we spent nearly seven years together and all you can of is _stupid Zelda_…" Without waiting for a response, she zipped through the aisles and out the front door, leaving me in quiet contemplation. I didn't know she ever felt that way…I mean…I never truly wanted to hurt her.

"Good job getting rid of her," Prillna said appreciatively. "Every day she comes in here pestering me about a certain gold bracelet… Each time I tell her to get lost. Either she pays or she leave empty-handed—is what I say. Rupees don't grow on trees, you know, they grow between patches of grass." She nodded her head logically, but I was too caught up in my own thoughts to hear her.

"I have to go…" brushing past her, I ran toward the door.

"Wait! You didn't buy anything!" Prillna yelled, hobbling after me. As she shuffled forward, her dress snagged on a hanger and she toppled to the floor. "Oh, goodness! My own store is attacking me. Help!" she screamed, but I was already out the door.


End file.
